Police in New Jersey have reportedly ordered a woman to cover up a "naked" snow sculpture based on the Venus de Milo.

A neighbour complained to officers after Elisa Gonzalez, 44, carved the headless and armless ancient Greece-inspired work on her front lawn, AFP reports.

Gonzalez said: "It looked very beautiful. We got a lot of attention from people in the neighbourhood. Some of them got out [of their cars] and took pictures and spoke to us."

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Of the decision to add a towel and bikini top to the sculpture, she added: "We had a visit from the local police who told us that a neighbour had complained about the statue and we needed to cover it up or knock it down.

"We didn't want to have any problem with the police so we covered it up."